Tessa wrinkled her nose as a cloud rolled away from the bright sun, causing it to pour through the windows without mercy. Her body hurt like hell, but she felt like she was floating on a cloud. As Tessa slowly pried open her eyes, she saw a beautiful rock fireplace in front of her, and windows on either side, letting the sunshine pour in. She pressed her eyes closed again, trying to remember the last thing she saw because she was positive it wasn't this.
Soft voices floated from behind her, and after a moment she could make out Katie's voice among them. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the cabin, and Tessa could vaguely hear the sound a dog barking in the distance.
"Friday," Katie's voice cut through the room clearly, "Find me a suitable replacement for carbonadium. Something that spreads through the bloodstream faster."
"Yes, Mrs. Rogers."
Rogers. Mrs. Rogers. Katie... Katie...
Tessa groaned as she tried to wrap her head around the flashes of memories that settled into her mind. The noise alerted those in the other room that she was awake. "Company's up!"
That voice... I know that voice too. It's so familiar.
"I'll go check on her." Katie's voice answered, and Tessa heard heavy footsteps approaching. She kept her eyes slammed shut as Katie got closer, and finally, her footsteps stopped and she spoke again, quieter this time, "How's she doing?"
"She's waking up." A man's soft voice answered from in front of Tessa, and the brunette's eyes flew open and focused on Bucky, who was seated in a chair next to the fireplace near her head. She wondered how she hadn't seen him before or heard him. He moved soundlessly and watched her with piercing blue eyes that made her skin crawl. When she tilted her head to get a better look, he offered her a weak smile, "Good morning."
"Where am I?" Tessa groaned, closing her eyes tightly again as she stretched, feeling terrible pain in her left arm that made her wince. She opened her eyes again and looked down, seeing her bare finger and a small prick mark in its place, "Where's my ring?"
Kayla moved around the other side of the couch and took a seat on the edge of the fireplace, watching Tessa cautiously as Bucky dug into the leather vest he still wore from the night before. He carefully pulled out her engagement ring, snapped in half at the bottom. He held it out for Tessa, just out of reach so she couldn't grab it. "Look under the diamond."
"It's ruined." Tessa whimpered, feeling tears form in her chocolate eyes, "Why-"
"See the needle under the diamond?" Kayla asked quietly, "We found a remote in Ryan's pocket. When we bumped it- it... you fell. I've been up all night testing it... it was cyanide."
"No. That's not possible." Tessa argued, sitting up, but she felt like she was made of bricks, "Ryan would never do that."
"Tessa, he had it armed and ready. All he had to do was push the button." Kayla argued, reaching out for her friend's hand, but she pulled away like Kayla was a snake. "Tess, listen to me."
Tessa stared intently at the ring, seeing the needle clear as day. She hadn't taken it off since Ryan gave it to her. There was no way there was foul play. He gifted her poison with the promise of death. "Ryan... proposed so he could get rid of me. He made sure he could finish it whenever he needed to. It was all a lie."
"Perhaps it wasn't always a lie." Kayla tried, but Tessa was accepting her new reality. She looked from the ring to the man holding it, giving him a sad smile.
"He would have killed me if you two hadn't shown up. He tried to blame it on Katie, but it was always his plan. You saved my life." She turned to Kayla, sniffing back a tear, "You both did. How? How did you save my life if he injected me with cyanide?"
"I'm so sorry Tessa, I'm so sorry." Kayla stammered, moving to the couch, and Tessa allowed it, but didn't reach out to her. Tessa let the redhead get closer, but didn't allow her to comfort her. The trust was broken. It wouldn't be that easy.
Katie lied. And she was still lying. She was still withholding the truth.
"Kay, Friday found a replacement for you, want me to run a test?" The familiar man's voice called from behind them, and Tessa turned around and gasped. The man looked up and met her stunned gaze with a brilliant smile. "Nice to meet you. Tony Stark." He introduced himself, turning back to his work.
"You- you're dead. You died. You- you aren't real." Tessa stammered, leaning against the couch as her head started to spin, "Where am I?"
"You're at my home." Tony explained evenly, watching as Friday ran his test, "Kay, it's a match."
"Good, see if we can condense it into a smaller dose. Same result, less liquid." Kayla called, and Tessa turned to the woman beside her with a slack jaw.
A clanging noise pulled Tessa's attention in a different direction, toward the cabin's kitchen where Steve was standing in blue jeans and a button-up blue shirt with a black leather jacket over it. He was sliding bacon out of a skillet onto a plate, bumping into a pan of eggs in the process. Tessa allowed herself a really good look at Katie's husband. "I always thought you looked familiar." She said quietly to herself, feeling her chest clench, "But I never considered my neighbor could be Captain America. The resemblance was weird, I'll admit, but you assured me- you made me sure that I knew who he was. Who you were." Tessa turned to Kayla, feeling devastated, "I feel like such an idiot."
"You're not an idiot... we worked really hard to keep you from finding out who we were," Kayla assured Tessa, but the brunette slapped her away, not wanting her comfort. "We had to. We had to protect the kids. Tessa, you have to understand."
"Where are they now? If you're both here?" Tessa asked Kayla, looking over to Steve who watched them out of the corner of his eye as he cooked. "Do they know?"
"Morgan knows. My daughter." Tony explained as he walked over, leaning against the back of the couch, "But the little ones? No. They have no idea. Pep's got them out by the lake with the dogs, playing on the shore. We didn't want them around while we were working on the antidote. Speaking of which, Kayla-" Tony nodded toward the holograms dancing over his table, beckoning his friend to come back to work.
Kayla hung her head, wanting to sort things out with her friend, but she stood and started walking toward her work station when Tessa's voice called her back, "I always knew his dad died in DC. I always just assumed he died doing the right thing. I should have known his dad's legacy would find its way to Ryan eventually."
Steve swallowed hard at her words, understanding his part in Ryan's demise. "Breakfast is ready." Steve's voice cracked, and he looked back down as he moved the eggs onto a plate, avoiding Tessa's gaze. If she knew the truth, and Kayla said she did, then Tessa knew that Captain America destroyed Hydra. Twice.
"I'll go get the kids." Tony told Kayla, wiping his screens away and pointing to Barnes, "Make yourself useful Buckeroo, set the table while the kids get cleaned up."
Tessa stood up, looking around as everyone else moved by her. She took in the beautiful log cabin, and saw Tony Stark himself calling out toward the lake that breakfast was served. She wandered by the table as Bucky appeared with dishes, setting them out silently as Tessa looked around in awe.
Tony came back into the cabin, rubbing his hands together hungrily, "You drink coffee? Tea? Whiskey? What can I get for you?"
Tessa looked back and forth before realizing Tony Stark was addressing her. "Oh, uh, water? Waters fine. I'm fine. Really. I- uh," Tessa scrambled to find the words she wanted to say to the billionaire, "It's an honor. Really. Thank you for letting me come here."
"Well you were unconscious and I didn't really have a choice." Tony replied with his usual amount of snark, "But you're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling better. Getting cyanide poisoning is no joke."
"About that... did you? Did you, uh?" Tessa gestured from him to her, then toward the table that had been his workstation moments before.
"No, that was all Rogers." Tony gestured to Kayla, who was talking quietly with Steve by the stove. Tony continued addressing the shorter woman, scratching his beard thoughtfully as she stared at the Rogers. "Kayla is one of the most brilliant minds of our time. She recreated the super soldier serum that created Captain America. She made a serum to counteract Gamma Radiation poisoning and as of last night she's figured out the antidote to cyanide. There's nothing she can't figure out when her family is concerned."
"Why are you telling me this?" Tessa asked sincerely, looking the man in the eyes as the children and Pepper reached the doorstep.
Tony scoffed, smiling as his wife pushed open the door and let the three kids in, "I'm saying the safest thing for her family would have been to let you die. Instead she told you the truth and saved your life. Think about what that means for you now." Tony warned as he greeted his wife with a kiss, "Tessa, this is Pepper. Pep, this is Kay's friend Tessa."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Pepper said cordially as the kids charged toward the sink to get their hands washed. Tessa looked from the strawberry blonde to the trio, noticing that the oldest brunette watched her cautiously.
"Morgan knows who I am. James and Sarah are completely in the dark. Steve and Kayla would like to keep it that way. Just as I'd like to keep my own secret. For my daughter's sake." Tony whispered, pulling out a chair for Tessa to sit before walking into the kitchen to help Steve and Kayla.
James and Sarah came crashing toward Tessa once their hands were washed, James pulling hard on her pant leg, "Auntie Tess, Auntie Tess! You're here to play?"
"I-" Tessa gasped, not knowing what to tell the child. She looked up to Kayla as she scooped up Sarah and strapped her into the high chair, then doubled back around for James.
"Auntie Tessa ate the bad marshmallows that Daddy ate camping, so she's staying here until she feels better," Kayla explained quickly as she sat between Sarah and James across the table from Tess.
"Uh oh." Sarah blurted, and Kayla plopped a small pile of eggs onto her tray, causing her to squish unhappily.
Steve grunted as he pulled out a chair next to Sarah, across from Bucky, who had wordlessly sat next to Tessa. Tony and his family filled the other end of the table and they silently began eating while Tessa sat with her plate empty.
"Aren't you hungry Auntie Tess?" Sarah asked quietly, pushing her eggs toward the edge of her tray.
"Drop those eggs and you'll be in trouble." Kayla deadpanned without looking, already knowing her daughter was offering up her portion. Kayla did look at Tessa out of the corner of her eye and added, "You should eat though. It'll make you feel better. The medicine takes a toll."
Tessa glanced at Steve, who dropped his face quickly so she wouldn't catch him staring. Tessa looked from Tony to Bucky, then back to Kayla, her voice soft, "The eggs look good."
Kayla shrugged lightly and snapped off a piece of bacon with her perfect teeth, "Steve's a great cook. Better than me. My talents lie elsewhere."
Tessa shivered at the auburn-haired beauty's words. They were so haunting knowing what she now knew. The woman across from her was the world-famous socialite Kayla Ellis, brought back from the dead only to die again. Tessa could only imagine the things she'd done- she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
Kayla cleared her throat and addressed Tessa with a practiced smile, one that wasn't genuine but she'd became accustomed to giving it, "Bucky went back and got your car this morning, so you don't have to worry about that. If there's anything else we can do, please let us know."
"I'm going to lose my home." Tessa breathed in, and Kayla nodded a little as she lowered her head shamefully until Tessa added, "But I'll be okay."
Kayla looked up to meet Tessa's sad brown eyes and a tight-lipped smile. Tess gave a thankful nod to Tony and stood, pushing away from the table. Kayla wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to tell her friend. In the course of one night, her hopes and dreamed had come crumbling down and her life almost came to an end. What could Kayla Ellis say to fix all that?
"Give her time. Time heals everything." Bucky mumbled under his breath, staring down at his plate intensely.
"Not everything," Tony grumbled from farther down the table, earning a glare from Steve. Tony ignored Steve's scowl and addressed the blonde's wife instead, "You think you'll be able to get that serum up and ready to ship out by tomorrow?"
Kayla heard none of it because she couldn't look away as Tessa hopped in her car and drove away.
Kayla was home alone with the kids when the police showed up at Tessa's door. She slowly came out the front door with Zawadi at her side, peeking around the side of the house to see the interaction between Tessa and the police officers. It was only a matter of time.
Kayla saw the officers get out of the car and take off their hats, speaking quietly to Tessa before she broke down crying. Her hand flew to her mouth and she stumbled back a little, getting the news of her fiance's death. They spoke a little, and she shook her head back and forth, occasionally nodding slightly. After a few moments, she glanced over to Kayla's house and caught a glimpse of her former friend. Kayla swallowed, biting her lip nervously as Tessa turned back to the cops and shook her head. The officers each gave Tessa a comforting hug before getting into their car and driving away.
Once alone, Tessa turned to Kayla and walked over as the redhead came around the corner, coming into the light. "Hey."
"Hey." Tessa echoed, shoving her hands into her back jean pockets. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. We're all fine." Kayla gestured over to the house for a moment, shifting uncomfortably as she squinted in the sun, "How are you doing?"
Tessa deflated a little, forming a bittersweet smile, "I'm okay. I'm... I'm going to be okay. They told me Ryan's dead. Obviously, I already knew." She ran her hand through her long brown hair, pushing it away from her face, "They asked if they were with anybody last weekend."
"What did you tell them?" Kayla's voice broke. She pet Zawadi's head, letting the dog bring her comfort as she waited to hear what Tessa said.
Tessa looked at her feet as she wiggled her toes in her sandals, "I told them no. It was a brother's weekend."
Kayla nodded as she took a deep breath and released it, feeling at ease, "Thank you."
"I get it you know. I've thought a lot about it. I get why you faked your own death and why you pretend to be someone you're not. I know you're just trying to protect James and Sarah. I get that."
"But?" Kayla asked, hearing the strain in Tessa's voice.
Tessa shrugged, looking guilty but determined, "But you lied to me. You know how important honesty is, and you spent the past three years lying to my face. Your kids call me Auntie Tess and I had no clue who you were. You could have trusted me. I won't tell anyone, I wouldn't then and I won't now. I'm just sad you didn't give me the chance."
"I'm sorry. I thought we were doing the right thing. Maybe we were wrong, but put yourself in my shoes. What if I wasn't? I trust you now." Kayla argued, reaching out to grab Tessa's arm, but the brunette backed away a little, shaking her head.
"I'm gonna need some time Katie- Kayla. Kayla." Tess corrected herself and Kayla felt her chest tighten. "I'll keep your cover. I promise. I don't want anything to happen to those kids either. But we can't pretend that everything is the same. It'll never be the same. I need you to give me some space okay?"
Kayla hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of her skinny jeans, rocking back and forth as she nodded, her auburn hair falling around her face, "I understand. Thank you, for keeping our secret."
"Thanks for saving my life," Tessa answered, reaching out and squeezing Kayla's arm, a knowing smirk dancing on her lips as she realized why her friend was always so strong. "Take care, Kayla Rogers."
Tessa turned and went back into her house to continue packing up her belongings, preparing to move into a smaller place, somewhere far away from the mysterious Rogers family.
Author's Notes:
Angib23- Your time is almost here my friend.
Nikkita Starr- No more Ryan! Yay! Also, what a glorious insult lol
Siobhan- So technically Ryan was always Hydra, and he gave Tessa the ring with the intention of killing her if need be. Tessa is going to have trust issues for a long, long time...